Steam-heating apparatus for railway-cars



E. H. GOLD. STEAM HEATING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29' 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented July 19, 1921.

E. H. GOLD.

STEAM HEATINGAP-PABATUSiFOR RAILWAY CARS.,

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29.1919.

1,384,75 1 Patented July 19, 1921 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

I l I I 7 Hhhl 2a 4 l 37 3d 5/ v 4/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EGBER'I I-I. GOLD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STEAM-HEATING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Application filed March 29, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EGBERT H. GOLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Heating Apparatus for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a steam heating apparatus for railway cars of the type in which the medium in the radiator is maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure regardless of fluctuations of pressure in the train pipe of the car.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improvement for a car heating system of this type designed to prevent back flow. of water of condensation into the train pipe when steam is shut oii from the latter.

In a vapor system steam is admitted to the radiator through a vapor regulator which functions to reduce the volume and pressure of the inflowing steam to an extent to maintain the pressure at or near the outlet of the radiator at substantially atmospheric pressure, thereby preventing the waste of steam through the outlet which is constantly open to the atmosphere. When the steam is first turned on and the radiator and pipes connected thereto are cold, a certain amount of the steam will be condensed and will be likely to collect in the inlet portion of the system due to the fact that the inflowing steam is so reduced in pressure by the action of the vapor regulator as to be incapable of pushing the water before it, as will occur in a high pressure heating system. Steam in suiiicient quantities to actuate the thermostatic member of the vapor regulator to throttle inflow will pass over water of condensation collected in the bottom of the radiating coil and its supply pipe or even through the water in case the inlet end of the coil is completely filled with water. The water will not run back into the train pipe, due to pressure therein, and due to the fact that the vapor regulator valve in ordinary operation is merely cracked so that the velocity of steam passing the same is considerable. As soon, however, as steam is cut off from the train pipe by disconnection of the car from the locomotive, for example, the vapor regulator valve is retracted from its seat and any water of condensation in the inlet end of the radiator coil is free to flow back into the train pipe and into the hose Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921.

Serial No. 286,026.

couplings between the train pipe and the train pipes of adjacent cars. In cold Weather the water collected in these places is likely to ireeze and cause damage or inconvenience and delay when the attempt is made to put the heating system into operation.

My invention provides a remedy for this defect in the ordinary vapor car heating systems.

The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of a heating apparatus of the vapor or low pressure type containing the improvement of my inventlon.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the vapor regulator taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the drainage valve and its pressure motor.

Fig. 1 is an inverted plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures oi the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is the steam traln pipe of a railway car adapted to be supplied with steam from the locomotive boiler or from the yard or terminal steam supply. 11 is the radiating coil located in the car, the flooring of which is shown at 12, and 13 is the vapor regulator, which is shown in section in Fig. 2, and is of iamiliar construction so that detailed description thereof is unnecessary. The high pressure chamber 141; of the vapor regulator is connected with the train pipe by a pipe sec tion 15. A pipe 16 leads from low pressure chamber 17 ot the vapor regulator to the radiator 11. The discharge pipe 18 of the radiator returns the medium to the thermo stat chamber 19 of the vapor reg lator. A tour-way shut-off valve 20 may be ar ranged between the radiator 11 and the inlet pipe 16 and discharge pipe 18. This valve is one in common use as part of a vapor car heating system. Leading from the high pressure chamber 14c of the vapor regulator is a short pipe 21 for conducting high pressure steam to a chamber 22 (Fig. 3) within a casing 23 closed at the bottom by a flexible diaphragm 2 1. Arranged in the inlet pipe 7 nected to a lever 30, the end of the lever being in the form of a fork 31 slotted at 32 to receive a pin 33 on the valve stem. This lever is pivoted to a clevis 34 formed on a web 35 on the lower member 36 of the diaphragm casing 23. A follower 37 bears against the under side of diaphragm 24, a coiled spring 38 being interposed between the upper end of the follower and easing member 36 through which the follower projects. The lower end of the follower is provided with avpin 39 engaging slots 10 in the forked end 41 of lever 30.

' The valve 27 stands open, except when steam pressure is exerted against diaphragm 2-4, allowing the pipe 16 and the inlet end of the radiator 11 to discharge waterof condensation through port 26. As soon as the steam is admitted to the train pipe 10, that is, when the car is connected up to the locomotive or to the steam supply at the terminal or in the railroad yard, diaphragm 24 is depressed rocking lever 30 and closing valve 27. The valve remains closed so long as the heating apparatus is in operation.

I claim:

1. In combination with a railway car, a steam train pipe, a radiator in the car having a constantly open outlet, a supply pipe leading from the train pipe to the radiator comprlsing two sections, a vapor regulator comprising an inlet valve interposed between said sections of the supply pipe, a device to control said valve arranged to be actuated by the medium outflowing from the radiator to maintain steam in the radiator at substantially atmospheric pressure, the supply pipe section between the radiator and the vapor regulator being pro- .vided with a drain outlet, and a valve for said outlet controlled by high pressure steam taken directly from the train pipe, which valve is closed when the train pipe is under steam and stands open in the absence of steam pressure in the train pipe. 7

2. In combination with a railway car, a steam train pipe, a radiator in the car having a constantly open outlet, a supply pipe leading from the train pipe to the radiator comprising two sections, a vapor regulator comprising an inlet valve interposed between said sections of the supply pipe and device to control said valve arranged to be actuated by the medium outflowing from the radiator to maintain steam in the radiator at substantially atmospheric pressure, the supply pipe section between the radiator and the vapor regulator being provided with a drain outlet, a normally open valve to close said outlet, a diaphragm subject to steam pressure in the train pipe, a lever connecting said valve and diaphragm, and a saring stressed when said diaphragm is uner steam pressure, whereby the drain pipe valve stands open when there is no pressure in the train pipe and is closed when the train pipe is under steam pressure. 7

I EGBERT H. GOLD. V 

